Former Manchester City boss Roberto Mancini believes he “deserved more respect”

Former Manchester City boss Roberto Mancini has broken his silence on his sacking, and has slammed chief executive Ferran Soriano.

The 48-year-old parted company with the club back in May, after a disappointing season by the club’s high standards and was sacked exactly a year to the day he claimed City’s first Premier League title in 44 years.

However, having lost out to Manchester United and Wigan in their bid for the Premier League and FA Cup respectively, it signalled the end for Mancini who also saw his side crash out of the Champions League group stages two years in a row.

Nevertheless, the Italian tactician ended the club’s 35-year wait for a trophy after winning the FA Cup back in 2011, and deemed his time at the Etihad a success.

In addition, he remains baffled by the decision to sack him, and believes he deserved more time and respect after what he achieved with the club.

“I lost the FA Cup, in football it can happen,” Mancini Corriere dello Sport as reported by Goal.com.

“It was a bad day for the whole team. But I never expected what happened. I never believed that the rumours about [Manuel] Pellegrini were true. Two months after my sacking, I still don’t understand the reasons and the timing.

“I think I deserved more respect for what I’ve done at City in three-and-a-half years. The club didn’t win a title for 40 years, I won a Premier League, an FA Cup, a Community Shield and, in the worst season, I lost a final and finished second in the Premier League.

“The numbers are clear, my sacking still doesn’t have a reason. I’m proud of my work. I’m not angry with [City owner Sheikh] Mansour and [City chairman] Khaldoon [Al Mubarak]. They are two great managers and I’ll always be grateful.”

However, Mancini wasn’t so friendly when discussing chief executive Soriano, as he revealed the pair had a troubled relationship during his time at the club.

He believes that the former Barcelona official was frustrated by his influence at the club, and revealed that they didn’t agree on football matters.

“Soriano? For him I was too big within the club,” he added.

“A manager in full control, loved by the fans still today. He judged a person and a context without knowing nothing of the people he should have dealt with. I never thought of him as an interesting person from a football perspective, we never spoke the same language.

“And I’m not talking about Italian, Spanish or English. His past at Barcelona? I think he was coming from an airline. I’ve been in football since I was 13 and I had never heard anything about Soriano. He arrived in England with his manager role and I saw that he loves to speak, to get media exposure.”

Mancini has since been paired with various jobs around Europe, although he has previously revealed a preference to take charge of a national team and lead them to the World Cup in Brazil next summer.